Good Prices, POOR Inventory Control, Ok Products
Written: Jan 25 '05 (Updated Mar 12 '05)
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I have purchased many items from Harbor Freight over the years. From tarps, electrical tape, hammers, brad nailers, bar & pipe clamps, recip saws, drills, sanders and too many more items to remember.
Most of HF's tools are "no name" generic Taiwanese or Chinese made tools or Chicago Electric brand which I believe are made overseas as well.... can't say much here because even Delta & the other big name tools are made overseas. HF also offers some new name brand tools like Dewalt & Porter Cable and reconditioned tools of various brands.
I've had mixed experiences with HF's power tools.
Ex. I purchased a "heavy duty" 1/4 sheet palm sander which died after just 15 minutes of light work. The entire pad & mechanism broke and was totally useless. It would have cost more to ship it back than to just buy another "cheap" sander locally.
Ex. I purchased a "heavy duty" recip saw many years ago that was as good as and maybe better than any name brand like DeWalt. Unfortunately, after many years of hard use, the blade clamping mechanism broke completely from the recip shaft mechanism and is out of commission.
I recently ordered replacement parts for the saw & hopefully when the parts arrive I'll be able to get a few more years out of the saw.
Ex. I purchased a air brad nailer for $15 because I needed a second nailer. I didn't think I would get much for $15, but I am quite pleased with the quality & durability... I've been using the nailer for several years without a misfire.
HF mails sales flyers & sends emails weekly and sometimes several times each week. Once you get on the mailing list, you'll get them forever.
Unfortunately, I don't think anyone ever checks the inventory before they make the flyers. I have ordered dozens of "sale" items that were in stock when I placed the order by phone, only to find out weeks later that the items were backordered for months.
(Even regular items that are in stock don't ship. Case in point: an order I placed about 6 days ago online had 12 different items, today I looked at the order tracking and found that only 10 were being "sent for shipment". Of course, the 2 items that didn't ship were items that I really need NOW.)
Ex. I ordered a set of raised panel router bits for $29, which was a good deal. The operator confirmed they were in stock at the time of my order.... weeks later I'm calling to find out where they are only to be hit with the usual "they're on backorder... should ship in 30 to 90 days".
Eventually I got the bits, but I had to wait about 3 months.
They must have been on a slow boat.
Ex. I ordered a large drill press on sale for $199. In stock when I ordered it... PLENTY (weeks and weeks) of time before I needed it for a Christmas present project. Several weeks went by & I was running short on time to make the present so I got on the phone to find out "item is backordered until Feburary...." even though it was in stock when I placed the order!
Needless to say, I cancelled the order (even though the operator kept asking if I wanted to backorder the item that wouldn't be shipped until sometime in FEBRUARY. I explained at least a dozen times that I NEEDED the tool to make a CHRISTMAS present for Christmas THIS YEAR. She still didn't get it, but she did offer to subscribe me to 50 magazines I didn't want to hear about.
Just because they say an item is in stock by phone or by internet, it may NOT be in stock.... and it may be, you'll never know until the package arrives.
Now not all the orders have been disasters, but I believe at least one or two items from every order I've ever made haven't arrived or arrived months later.
Up until this year, HF has had free shipping on orders over $50 but they charged $5.95 "processing fee". This has ended. Now orders over $50 will cost you $8.99 shipping plus tax.
$9 might not sound like much for shipping a big box of tools, but you may be surprised how long and in what condition your box & items arrive.
My orders generally take 10 to 20 days to arrive.
Often the boxes are barely taped together & in some cases, I've found a few of my missing parts inside the mail box... I guess the rest of the missing parts are scattered all over the Post Offices between here & there.
Sometimes, the boxes look as if they were packaged by a trained professional, with great care.
Funny thing is that most of the packages are postmarked from a HF center less than 75 miles away from me.
The HF brand of pipe clamps are similar in design to the Pony brand, the HF clamps normally sell for about $3.99 while the Pony clamps sell for $12.99 or more.
I have both brands, and for the money the HF clamps are just as good to me... the wood can't tell the difference. The same can be said for the HF bar clamps, they're cheaper in price but close to the quality of the name brand clamps.
Misc. hand tools, measuring instruments, tape and other items have been ok quality, not premium quality but by all means usable tools.
I've never sent anything back, mostly because it would cost more in shipping than the items were worth and because most of the stuff has been good enough to use, or I've been able to repair/modify them my my needs.
Their customer service is a little better now than in years past. The last operator I spoke with spoke English and didn't (like so many before) sound like they were eating a peanut butter & cracker sandwich underwater while talking to me.
I don't mean to sound so down on HF, I actually like most of the items I receive from them, even when the items arrive months late.
If HF could improve (or create) an inventory system that would track incoming stock v/s orders and speed up the order processing time, they would have a lot less upset customers.
I've ordered many things from HF over the years & I'll probably order more in the future (I may or may not get all of the items I order though)
***Update***
Well, it's been a while since I submitted my original review & I've placed a few more orders. Unfortunately, Harbor Freight Tools seems to have little or no concept of inventory control.
One item that I needed badly when I ordered it wasn't shipped when it was supposed to. I waited about 3 weeks, no item. I began the tracking call process & it was backordered for 3 to 4 weeks AFTER I called... now 6 to 7 weeks after I ordered it. Some time goes by & I call again... it's backordered 3 to 4 MORE weeks now. A few more weeks go by & I call again... yup, it's backordered another 3 to 4 weeks AGAIN. It's been about 3+ months now & I still have no idea (nor do they) of when of IF I'll receive the item I needed way back then.
Harbor Freight is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get... or when you will get it... or IF you will get it.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Tools & Accessories
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buggman
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Reviews written: 95
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